1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an automatic original feeding device, and more particularly, to an automatic original feeding device provided in an image reading apparatus, such as a scanner or the like, or in an image forming apparatus, such as a copier, a laser-beam printer or the like.
The invention also relates to an automatic original reading device, such as a scanner or the like, which includes an automatic original feeding device, and to an image forming apparatus, such as a copier, a printer or the like, which includes such an automatic original reading device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In automatic original feeding devices provided in image forming apparatuses/image reading devices (hereinafter termed "apparatuses"), such as copiers, scanners or the like, originals mounted on an original-mounting unit are sequentially fed to an original-reading position of the apparatus which sequentially reads the images of the fed originals, and the read originals are sequentially discharged to a discharging unit.
When images are to be read from both surfaces of an original, the second surface of the original is read by automatically inverting the original within the automatic original feeding device, and refeeding the original to the reading position.
In some apparatuses, a manual path is provided separately from a path for automatic original feeding in order to deal with an interrupt while an original is fed or an original in an inferior state (a folded original, a creased original, a bonded original or the like), and the image of the manually inserted original is read.
When an automatic original reading device or an image forming apparatus has various kinds of original-image reading modes as described above, it is naturally difficult to use a common original-feeding path for all of the modes. Accordingly, when the apparatus stops due to a jam or the like of an original, originals remain in original-feeding paths corresponding to the respective modes.
As described above, originals may remain in various states in which, for example, the surfaces of some of the originals have been inverted, other original have been read, and other originals have not been read yet. In automatic original feeding devices for high speed reading in recent apparatuses, the interval between adjacent originals is mininized in order to shorten an image reading operation and to minimize loss time between reading operations. Accordingly, a plurality of originals are fed in conveying paths within the main body of the apparatus.
Accordingly, a plurality of originals may remain in conveying paths when the apparatus stops, for example, due to a jam of an original, and the originals may remain in the above-described various states (in which, for example, the surfaces of some originals have been inverted, other originals have been read, and other originals have not been read yet).
When a plurality of originals remain in the conveying path, the order of the remaining originals may not be clear to the user who performs jam recovery processing unless a simple substantially straight path is used. Particularly when the apparatus is operated by a dedicated operator (not the author of the originals), it is not uncommon for the operator to be unable to know the order of the originals.
Although some of conventional apparatuses display, for example, the order of jam removing operations for originals, or the positions of remaining originals on a liquid-crystal panel or the like, they do not have means for displaying when the user performs jam removing operations according to his unique approach, or for displaying processing for removed originals.
However, when actually performing jam removing operations in an automatic original feeding device, it is impossible to return removed originals to initial states unless, for example, the surface of each of the originals to be read and the order of the originals to be read is clear.
Even if the surface of each of the originals to be read and the order of the originals to be read are displayed on an operation panel, the user, who performs jam removing processing, will find it very difficult to know information relating to the states of the originals in the initial states unless displays relating to the states of the originals are present in the vicinity of the corresponding original-conveying paths (processing-state information).
Furthermore, when an original-feeding unit is provided separately from a discharging unit, it is necessary to return read originals to the discharging unit, and to return unread originals to the original-feeding unit. However, these operations cannot be peformed without error unless the states of reading operations are clear.
That is, since means for showing the condition of the originals remaining in the original-feeding paths (the surface of each of the originals to be read, the order of the originals to be read, read originals, and unread originals) to the operator are absent, it is difficult to appropriately process the remaining originals to recover the reading operations.